It would be an understatement to say I had high expectations for a brand-new single from The Sleeveens. Out on the iconic Goner Records, "Downtown" is the Nashville and Dublin–based band's third single and first new release in over a year. One of the most gratifying things about 2024 was to witness the worldwide garage/punk community go absolutely nuts for The Sleeveens. There's nothing better than seeing a band at this level of greatness get properly recognized by fans and reviewers alike. The band's self-titled album was one of the most remarkable debut punk LPs of recent memory, and "Downtown" is absolutely of the same caliber. This was actually one of the first songs Stefan Murphy ever wrote. He released it with his band The Mighty Stef back in 2009. And while that original version is great in its own right, this tune just hits different as a Sleeveens song. So much of the allure of this band is that there's no other group out there that sounds quite like this. You've got the Irish poet laureate of the underground fronting a blistering American garage punk rock 'n' roll band, and it's absolute magic. Eli Steele on guitar, Ryan Sweeney on drums, and Jamie Mechan on bass pump new life int "Downtown" without downplaying the substance and soul of its lyrics. The first verse alone is enough to give you chills:
You know, the nine-to-five is eating us alive
Eating us alive
We are not kings, we are foot soldiers
On the road to nowhere
This is not the way it was supposed to be
We promised ourselves a revolution
But we ended up walking out in the cold again
I love how the song starts out seemingly despairing, but by the end, it's defiant and hopeful. When Murphy sings, "We're ok, we can roll with the punches any day because we're made of steel, we're made of stone," you'll be ready to run through a brick wall. This, my friends, is a freaking anthem! And very quickly. The Sleeveens are becoming known for anthems! Imagine one of your very first attempts at writing a song being something this profound. And while the song seems particularly relevant in the light of recent events, its message is truly timeless. What a brilliant idea it was to revive this song! On the B-side, the band does an excellent rendition The Reigning Sound's classic "Drowning." When Murphy was just starting out as a songwriter, he was a massive fan of Greg Cartwright. That influence might not have been palpable in his music at the time. But fate brought him into contact with a Tennessee-based garage band, and the idea of The Sleeveens covering The Reigning Sound was just too perfect to pass up. Suffice it to say that if you consider Greg Cartwright as one of the finest songwriters of his generation, you probably view The Sleeveens as the next great hope for rock 'n' roll. And you'd be correct on both counts.
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